Guy derrick



J. R. GILL.

GUY DERRICK.

APPLICATION FILED Mats, 1920.

1,417,728. Patented May 30,1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET Fila. l

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Erna inc below ATTORNEY RRRRRRRRR K.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 18, 192(1- UlTElIi JOHN ROBERT GILL, O1 "BIRMINGHAM", ALABAMA,

GUY DERRICK.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented May 30, 1922.

Application filed December 18, 1820. Serial No. 431,688.

To all whom it concern Be it known that 1', JOHN Romain." GILL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Guy DblllClZS, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in guy derriclzs or cranes, such as are used for the erection of tall steel structures or wherever the derrick is intended to be used at a considerable elevation above the hoisting engine.

'lhe guy derriclrs as now in use at a substantial elevation above the hoisting engine are subject to a serious operating difficulty arising from the fact that the boom will not fall freely away from the mast by gravity because of the overbalancing weight of the long cable running down to the hoist engine below, which weight must be lifted by the boom before it can fall away by gravity. it present this di'filoulty is overcome by overhauling or pulling up a sufficient length of cable by hand to enable the boom to substantially overbalanoe the cable, but, as this is done by hand it causes a loss in time and involves much inconvenience and hard work. This same difiiculty has made it necessary in erecting very tall buildings to raise the hoist up nearer to the derrick which is objectionable from many points of view.

The object of this invention is to overcome this dihiculty by providing the derrick with an overhauling sheave or auxiliary drum about which the cable controlling the boom is given a number of turns and thence passes on from the top of the mast to the boom. This drum provides a ready means for overhauling the cable by hand mechanical power or counterweight so as to adapt the boom, as thus relieved of excessive cable load, to fall away quickly.

As illustrative of my invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which I illustrate only the preferred embodiments of my invention without intending thereby to limit myself to the detailed structures shown.

Referring to the drawings Fig. l is a front elevation of a guy derrick showing the mast partly broken away to illustrate a crank operated overhauling drum about which the boom cable is wound.

Fig. 2 is a side view of Fig. 1 showing the overhauling drum equipped with an automatic counterweight attachment.

F 3 is a cross sectional view showing the application of my invention to a steel mast and boom; and

Fig. 1 is a view of Fig. 3 taken on the line iei of Fig. 3.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the embodiment of my invention illus trated in Fig. 1, I show a standard type of wooden guy derrick comprising a swivel support 1, a vertical mast 2, a boom 3 pivotally connected to the mast at 4-. The main hoist cable which passes upwardly from the hoisting engine (not shown) is led through the swivel support 1 and upwardly through the opening 6 in the base of the mast and into a recess or cross cut 7 in the mast where it is given the required number of turns around a sheave or drum 8 and thence passes in any desired manner to the upper sheave wheel 9. As shown the cable is directed outwardly from the mast recess by means of av small sheave wheel 10, though it may pass upwardly in any manner to the sheave wheel 9 according to the present standard practice. The cable thence leads from the sheave wheel 9 to the standard bloclt and tackle rigging 11, which connects the top of the mast with the free end of the boom. A main fall cable 12 also passes upwarly through the mast and between the sheave wheels 13 and 15 on the mast and over sheave wheel 1% on the boom. The auxiliary drum is mounted fast on a shaft 15 which turns in bearings 15 suitably attached to the mast and is adapted to'be operated by any suitable mechanism either hand or power driven. As shown in Fig. 1 the drum shaft is provided with an operating crank 16. In Fig. 2 the drum shaft has fast on one end a drum 1'? about which a cable 18 is wound and then passed upwardly over the sheave wheel 19 and connected to a. counterweight 20 which is sufficient to counterbalance the load of the cable 5 between the hoisting engine and the drum 8. I show in this view a crank 16 also on the drum shaft, as a means which may be used if desired in conjunction with the counterweight to overhaul the weight of the cable.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I show a steel mast 21 of standard construction and a steel boom 22. The overhauling drum 8 is mounted within the mast on shaft 15 which turns in bearings 23 attached to suitable brackets 24: which are bolted or riveted to the mast. I provide a hand wheel 25 for operating shaft 15. In this arrangement the cable 5 passes upwardly through the center of the inast instead of outside of the mast as in n operation, as the cable 5 is operated by the hoisting mechanism its windings about the overhauling drum 8 will cause the latter to rotate idly with it after the fashion of the sheave. W hen the weight of the boom is not sufficient to counterbalance the Weight of the cable, it is only necessary to grasp the crank 16 or wheel 25 and the able below the drum can be overhauled suiiiciently to permit the boom to swing outwardly until its increasing weight will let it drop automatically. Where the counterbalancing weight is employed, as in Fig. 2, as the hoisting engine pulls the boom up to its upright position it winds cable 5 on the drum 8 and raises the counterweight. As soon as the pull from the hoisting engine on the cable 5 ceases, the counterweight acts through the drum to overhaul the cable, thus providing an automatic overhauling mechanism which will function to cause the boom to fall away rapidly under all operating conditions, the counterweight being of the type readily adapted to be varied to counterbal ance the length oi cable below the guy derrick.

This invention is not intended to be restricted in scope to the specific embodiments shown, but contemplates such modifications as come within the spirit and scope of the claims. 7

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a guy derrick mounted at an elevation above the hoisting engine controlling it, of a hoist cable leading upwardly to the derrick for controlling the derrick boom, and an auxiliary overhauling drum adjacent to thederrick about which said cable is wound and which is operable to relieve the boom of the counter balancing weight of the cable.

2. The combination with a guy derrick comprising a mast, a boom and a boom con trolling cable, of an auxiliary drum journaled on the mast and having said cable wound about it in its passage to the boom, and means to operate the drum to overhaul the cable.

3. The combination with the mast of a guy derrick and its boom controlling cable, of an auxiliary drum mounted with its periphery projecting substantially into line with the vertical axis of the mast and having said cable wound about it and thence extending upwardly to connect to the derrick boom, and means to operate said drum to overhaul the cable.

-l. The combination with the mast of a guy derrick and its boom controlling cable, of an auxiliary drum journaled on the. mast with its periphery projecting substantially into line with the vertical axis of the mast and having said cable wound about it and thence extending upwardly to connect to the derrick boom, and automatic means to operate said drum to overhaul the cable.

5. The combination with the mast of a guy derrick and its boom controlling cable, of an auxiliary drum mounted on the mast with its periphery projecting substantially into line with the vertical axis of the mast and having said cable wound about it and thence extending upwardly to connect to the derrick boom, and automatically and manually controlled means to turn said drum to overhaul the cable.

6. The combination with the mast boom and boom controlling cable of a guy derrick, of an auxiliary overhauling drum journaled on the mast and having said cable wound about it, and a crank connected to the drum for operating it and overhauling the cable hanging therefrom to free the boom to fall away by gravity.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature.

JOHN ROBERT GILL.

lVitness Norma WELSH. 

